A problem family who have to be sorted

THE organisation which delivers football's diversity training is still waiting to hear from Malky Mackay.

LMA head Richard Bevan has come under fire in the 'Textgate' furore [PA]

When the former Cardiff manager made his televised apology for his part in the homophobia, racism and sexism row which has rocked the game, he said he would undertake training.

That was Friday. But last night Kick It Out, football's anti-discrimination charity, were still awaiting his call.

Before anyone groans, trots out the cliche about "political correctness gone mad" and scoffs at the whole notion of diversity training, Kick It Out's education programme actually works.

And football is so stuck in its blokey, 1970s culture that here is a proposal: ALL managers should attend diversity training.

The sessions would have to be secret (I'll explain that later), but the League Managers' Association should agree to sign up their members today. That way, LMA chief executive Richard Bevan might keep his job.

Bevan is under fire because his organisation issued a statement about Mackay which called the appalling texts as "banter" - a stupefyingly crass misunderstanding of the seriousness of the Textgate scandal.

There's a lot more that needs to be done. But this is one, easy but giant step which could be taken now

Yet Bevan is only the latest figure from football's top brass to show he just doesn't get it.

In the last year alone, Greg Dyke, chairman of the Football Association, set up his England commission and appointed only white men until that was pointed out to him, when he hurriedly added Rio Ferdinand: one person among 10.

And Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, sent sexist emails.

Mackay has apologised for his actions [PA]

That's the head of the two most powerful organisations and the manager of the national team: the very top of the football "family". This is clearly a problem family.

Football led the way in assimilating people from ethnic minorities when black players began appearing in every team in the Seventies and Eighties, and when a concerted effort was made, eventually, to outlaw racist chanting and behaviour by fans.

But while other businesses and industries have learned to try to treat all people fairly, football still has too many folk who think it is okay to say things which would not be acceptable in any other environment and which, in some instances, would get you arrested if you said them in the street.

With discriminatory language so common, it should not surprise us that there is discriminatory behaviour.

So, there are no black managers in the top four divisions. Not one. Only a handful of Asian players reach the top. No current player has "come out" as homosexual.

There are some complex factors at play behind those stark, accusatory facts. But one of them is simple. The decision-makers in football are almost entirely white, middle-aged men.

Very few of them are bigots. Most of them are profoundly decent. But without diversity at the top of the game's organisations, in club boardrooms, on training grounds and in managers' offices, a mouldy culture has gone unnoticed.

It is a culture which doesn't worry that the minorities are not taking coaching courses.

It is a culture which has a tacit belief that homophobic, sexist, anti-Semitic and plain racist comments are just "banter".

So, Kick It Out began educating young players. It started at Football League clubs.

I oversimplify a very detailed, careful approach - but the sessions had a real impact.

At Notts County, youngsters felt empowered to report what they regarded as bullying. And all over the country, others changed attitudes.

The Football League were so impressed they are funding KiO for the first time this season.

And the Premier League have asked KiO to give diversity training to all their young players too.

So, Richard Bevan, make that clod-hopping Mackay statement a watershed moment for your career, your organisation and for the game I know you cherish. Sign your members up for some proper, secret, provocative training.

There's a lot more that needs to be done. But this is one, easy but giant step which could be taken now.